CITY INTRODUCES PRESCRIPTION DRUG

DISCOUNT CARD FOR RESIDENTS

The City and County of Honolulu today introduced a discount card program to help Oahu residents cope with the high cost of prescription drugs.

The City is making free prescription drug discount cards available under a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) that offers average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.

The cards may be used by all Oahu residents, regardless of age, income, or existing health coverage, and are accepted by nearly all the island's pharmacies.  In addition, a national network of more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies, including many Neighbor Island pharmacies, will honor the NACo prescription discount card.  A list of participating pharmacies is attached.

Best of all, there is no cost to Honolulu taxpayers for NACo and the City to make these money-saving cards available to residents.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said, "Honolulu is proud to be one of the counties nationwide participating with NACo.  The NACo prescription discount card offers significant savings for the uninsured and underinsured residents of Honolulu, and even those fortunate to have prescription coverage can use the card to save money on drugs that are not covered by their health plan. Residents do not have to be Medicare beneficiaries to be eligible for this program."

Council Chair Barbara Marshall said, "Using the NACo prescription discount card is easy.  Simply present it at a participating pharmacy.  There is no enrollment form, no membership fee and no restrictions or limits on frequency of use.  Cardholders and their family members may use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance."

Residents may also save on prescriptions for their pets.  If a pet is prescribed a medicine that is also used to treat human conditions, the pet owner may save by using the prescription discount card.  Simply ask the veterinarian to write a prescription and present it at a participating pharmacy, along with the prescription discount card.  The pet owner will pay either a discount price or the retail pharmacy's regular retail price, whichever is lower.

Cards are available at the City Council office at Honolulu Hale and at the City's 10 Satellite City Halls.

The discount card program is administered by Caremark Rx, Inc.  Honolulu residents can get assistance with the program by:

·        Calling Caremark toll free 1-877-321-2652

·        Going online at www.caremark.com/naco

 Information is also available at these City resources:

 ·        Visit http://www.honolulu.gov/council/index1.htm

        Click on "What's New?" and select "Prescription Discount Card"

·        Call the City Council, 527-5700

·        Call the City Department of Community Services, 768-7701

NACo is a national organization that represents county governments in the United States.  Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation's 3,600 counties.  NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.  

For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.

Contact:

Clayton Wong, 527-5700